Water ban in force, stricter fines considered as drought continues

Water levels at the country’s reservoirs have dropped critically and measures to intensify fines for wastage are being deliberated, acting director of the water development department (WDD) George Kazantzis said on Wednesday.

Speaking on CyBC’s morning radio, the WDD official said that if the upcoming winter season does not bring sufficient rains, the water shortage will turn into a dire situation. The water levels currently stand at 39 per cent when last year at this time, they stood at 63.3 per cent, he said.

Conservation must be enforced, he added, and said discussions were underway to increase the finefor violation of the ban on spraying water around yards and pavements and rinsing off cars.

The WDD acting head recalled that breaching the ban is a criminal offence punishable by a fine of €51, with the further consequence of being taken to court if the fine is left unpaid.

Discussions are underway at the newly launched district organisations (EOAs) and the ministry of agriculture to hammer out the details of enforcement by locally authorized employees of these bodies, Kazantzis said.

Meanwhile, concerned citizens can make their complaints to the police, who are obliged to investigate incidents of water wastage and misuse, he said.

Kazantzis emphasized that the water ban applies equally to anyone using water from a borehole.

“Borehole permits are private but water is not,” the official pointed out. “Water is a communal good. We all use water from the same water table.”